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Legislators unveil stadium plan for Saints

Two state senators introduced bipartisan legislation Wednesday for a new minor league baseball park in St. Paul.

The $50 million facility would replace the St. Paul Saints' 29-year-old Midway Stadium.

Sens. Dave Senjem (R-Rochester) and Sandy Pappas (DFL-St. Paul) introduced the bill,which would use state bonds to cover slightly more than half the cost.

Pappas said, despite the state's tough budget situation, borrowing for a ballpark is a good idea.

"It's a small ballpark," she said. "It's not a huge project like other projects that have been funded or proposed to be funded. It's really meant to be a community facility."

The proposal calls for the city of St. Paul and the Saints to share in the cost.

Pappas said funds for a new Saints ballpark would be part of a much larger state bonding bill, which is itself not certain to pass this session.

"It's getting kind of late. It's down the road. Nobody's promising anything at this point. But it's still a possibility and if we can't get the full amount of money, we may just be able to get some design dollars," Pappas said.